I would say Sig P226, I have shot one for a little over 2 years and bought it to replace an older S&W 9mm, I prefer it so much more than my old one. They are accurate, reliable, easy to strip and clean, durable... the P226 are also used by the military such as the Navy Seals so you know they have gone through quite a bit of testing.

I think we're at the point where no one can absolutely identify exactly what an American gun company is anymore. Is it by where the company was originally started? Is it by percentage of parts? Where the final assembly takes place, irregardless of where the parts come from? Is it by where the physical corporate headquarters is located? Is it how the accounting is structured? Or, more likely, what the company's marketing department tells us it is?

There is something about being an American gun owner that brings out the patriotic nature in all of us gun owners. As a group, we seem to express our patriotism quite a bit more than many other groups (the automotive group is another one). Maybe it's the 2nd Amendment connection, or maybe it's our country's history of attaining and maintaining our sense of freedom, thanks to the gun. Like most of you, I consider myself to be extremely patriotic. Heck, I've been known to tear up at the Pledge of Allegiance at the local high school football game.

As American gun owners, we all want to feel proud of the quality of product of our, so-called, American gun companies. Unfortunately, you have to admit that a quick read of many firearms forums will reveal more than a few moanings about the level of product quality coming out of the big (traditionally) American brands. Not to say there isn't quite a bit of good product out there (I do own my share of Smith and Wesson and Remington products), but the quality just isn't the absolute reason to buy from them.

That leaves us with pushing the Buy American gun movement, not for the quality of it, but just to help the American gun company economy and as a result, by extension, to help the American economy.

While I applaud the motive behind it, the 'Buy American' movement thing just doesn't address the cause of any of the problems: the fact that the gun companies aren't providing the products the public wants. You can, by pushing the Buy American movement, guilt the public into purchasing American for a short while, but not forever.

This country was built on the entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that economic pressures of the marketplace promotes an evolution of better and better products. Somewhere along the line, the rest of the world's companies (not just the gun companies, but other industries as well) have learned those lessons and implemented them, while the American gun companies have gotten complacent about that. They've gotten to the point where shortcuts in the process have become more important than making the shopping public's interests come first.

The fact is, the American economic model is based on the fact that when you build a product that is better than its competition and offer it at a better price and distribute it with a more efficient process, and market it in such a way that makes it convenient to the buying public, the dollars will flow. That's economics 101, folks; capitalism at its finest.

To me, that means choosing your guns from companies that build them the best...no matter the country of origin. If that sounds unpatriotic to you, it shouldn't. It is the American way of doing things. Too many (traditionally) American gun companies have ridden the marketing bandwaggon of appealing to our patriotism to buy from them. Appealing to my sacred patriotism as a way to get me to shop their products is dirty, in my oppinion.

Time to drop that mindset, folks. Time to help America stay great by forcing the gun companies to create great products we actually want, rather than products we're being patriotically guilted into buying.

While I understand your point about the best product for the lowest price, I think that part of that "lowest price" part needs a closer review. I won't buy American made junk, but I'll pay a bit more for a quality American made product. The labor costs are a significant part of most products, and I'm not in favor of reducing the American worker to the lowest common denominator of international (and often 3rd world) standards. Buy from your neighbors, they buy your work too...

You're correct, MLB. I should revise that part of my post. I should have said that we should choose to buy the product for a fair price, based on its quality. I have no problem paying more, sometimes a lot more, if the gun is worth it, in my opinion. Perceived value = fair price charged.

A lot of folks get down on H&K products for being so pricey. Not me...I think the extra coinage for H&K is worth it. Keeping in mind that there are a lot of great guns out there that will do the same job as the H&K, for roughly half the price. Compare the M&P 9c with H&K P2000 sk. While I'm currently in the market for that size handgun and I keep going back and forth between the M&P and H&K. Knowing me, I'll probably still go with the H&K, for no other reason than the elitist thing of being able to say I have another H&K (I already have a USP Elite). Both great guns, but I still think the H&K is worth the extra price.

Hands down HK USP.....There`s none better...Pull the trigger they go bang all the time...Save you pennys quit wasting time and money and buy a HK...once you do you won`t go back :>)

That's funny you say that. My friend had a full sized USP and a USP compact. He said the exact identical thing you said. He sold both of them because he liked the way the Walther PPS shot over those. I bought the compact. Shot it a few times. Traded it off for a custom Glock, sold it to my cousin and bought my a M&P .40c. I was definitely more happy with the M&P over the H&K. H&K while not being a bad shooting gun but I will never own another one.

My friend just picked up another USP compact off a guy who sold it to buy himself another Sig. He shot a few mags through it and had it sold the next day. And I quote, "I don't know why I was ever in love with those guns so much. They just don't shoot like my others".

I have another friend who just bought one of the newer modeled H&K (can't remember specifically which one) and while he likes it says it doesn't shoot as good as his Beretta, however, he does like it. I just think they are over-priced for what they are. Glocks, M&Ps, XDs, Rugers. All great guns. Just as reliable and cheaper.